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[A/N: I love my reviewers!]

Mark rolled over in bed to find Kelly asleep next to him. He couldn't help but smile. She looked so delicately beatiful with her pale limbs entangled beneath the sheets. Mark moved closer to her to he could feel her shallow, peaceful breathing on his neck. He couldn't believe how things had happened so fast. It was only a week and a half ago that they had gone on their first date, and now he was waking up with a beautiful woman beside him. Mark never thought it would happen. After Maureen had dumped him for another woman, Mark had assumed that there was no one left for him in this world. Kelly had proven him wrong. If only she had the same rejuvenating effect on Collins. According to Kelly, he had rarely been at the apartment. He was always off somewhere thinking. . .about what? Angel, Mark guessed.

Kelly stirred and yawned. "Morning, Marky."

Mark had a sudden flashback of Maureen calling him by that nickname, but he pushed the thought out of his mind. He wasn't going to let a past relationship ruin his current happiness. "Morning." He reached out and gently touched her cheek. It always surprised him how soft her skin was.

"I had fun last night." She giggled softly.

"Me too," Mark said, and he meant it. "How about we do something special today."

Kelly leaned closer to him. "Like what?"

"Well, I just happened to get these tickets . . ." Mark reached over to the dresser and handed them over.

Kelly sqealed. "You didn't . . .no WAY! Mark, how did you know? I've been dying to see The Phantom of the Opera since . . ."

". . .since it first opened. You told me." Mark couldn't hide the fact that he was incredibly pleased with himself.

"Thank you!" Kelly leapt onto his chest and kissed him.

"Ok, ok. I know you love me. Everyone does," he joked. Mark pulled Kelly off of him and stood, wrapping the sheet around him like a cape. "My darling Christine," he said in his most masculine voice, "Shall we prepare for our journey to the opera house?"

Kelly hooked arms with Mark. "We shall!"
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Maureen nervously entered the Life Café to find Joanne seated at a table for two. She exhaled slowly desperately trying not to be nervous. Maureen was already fifteen minutes late.

"Sorry I'm late," she appologized. "My doctor's appointment took longer than I had expected." Maureen sat down across from Joanne. "Well . . .hi."

"Hi."

They stared at the menus for what seemed like a century even though they knew they would order the same things they always did. Joanne tried to break the ice.

"So how have you been, Maureen?"

"Great!" she lied, a bit too cheerily. "And how about you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. What's that?" she asked, motioning to the manilla folder in Maureen's hand.

"Those are some ultrasound pictures of the baby. I just got them today." She shoved them across the table. "It's a girl."

"Mimi said you wanted to be surprised."

"I guess I changed my mind."

Joanne shuffled through the pictures. "These are . . .nice."

Maureen lost her previous composure. Joanne's presence was enough to overwhelm her. "Nice? You're looking at pictures of my baby and all you can say is 'nice'?"

"What am I supposed to say, Maureen? I'm trying to be happy for you. It's hard. You can't expect me to feel all giddy about a baby you made when you were cheating on me!" she snapped back, surprised at how easily they had begun fighting again.

"I'm sorry! I can't change it, and you know how much I wish I could. Would you just drop it? I know I hurt you and you know you hurt me so why are we even having this convesation?!" It took a moment for Maureen to realize that she had raised her voice considerably. Several people dining glanced in her direction. "Sorry," she muttered. "Can we just start over?"

Joanne sighed. "We can start over this conversation, but not our relationship."

"Then why did you-"

"You know we have a lot of good times together. Maybe we could just be friends."

The peacemaking statement ended the battle, but suddenly Maureen knew that it could never end their war against love. "Sure."

Joanne crumpled and uncrumpled the paper napkin in her hand. "Honey bear-" She immediately recognized the old nickname and stopped. "Maureen. I just want you to know . . .I hate to tell you this. I'm sorry, I didn't think I'd get your hopes up but . . .I met someone else."

Maureen swallowed. [i]Don't cry,[/i] she told herself. [i]Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.[/i] "Oh. Who?" [i]Don't cry, don't cry.[/i]

"Her name is Shannan. We met last month. I stayed in her apartment in Manhattan for a while."

"Oh."[i] Don't cry.[/i]

"Maureen, I really would love to be friends with you and the rest of the gang again. And . . ." she seemed to be in deep thought for a moment. "I want you to meet her."

"What?!" Maureen almost tipped over her glass of lemon water. "I mean . . .why?" This was the last thing she had expected from Joanne.

"I know it would be uncomfortable at first, but I really think you would like her. Everyone would," Joanne said, trying to sound convincing. "I understand if you decide that you don't want to-"

"No. I do. Believe me, I do." Maureen knew she was up for the challenge. Or was she?
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"Just as long as she's not pretty," Maureen told Mimi later. "Then I think I'll go insane."

"You're just jealous. It's normal," Mimi replied calmly.

"Jealous? Are you calling me jealous?"

Roger snorted from behind the refrigerator door. "Isn't that what she just said?"

Maureen threw her hands in the air dramatically. "Great! So you're all against me now! Just great!"

"Jesus, Mo. Would you calm down for once?" Roger returned with a beer and tossed one to Mimi.

"Calm down? I can't! It was bad that Joanne left me but now she has Little Miss Perfect Magazine Editor as a girlfriend!" Her fingers twitched. "God, a want a cigarette."

"You don't smoke," Mimi began.

"Do I LOOK like I give a fuck?"

"We don't have any. . ." Mimi stealthily slipped her hand into the kitchen drawer and tossed a hidden pack of cigarettes to Roger behind Maureen's back. She signaled for him to not let her find them. He nodded with a grin and shoved them in his back pocket. It was too late. Maureen caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Roger and Mimi said in unison exchanging fearful glances. They attempted to look innocent, but nothing could fool Maureen.

"I know you have them. I don't care any more. I just want to sleep." She sank onto the couch and covered her face with a pillow. "Oh, by the way . . .it's a girl."

Roger shoved the cigarettes back in the drawer. "What's a girl?" he asked distractedly.

"The baby, dumbass."

"Oh my god! Mo! Why didn't you tell me?" Mimi bounced onto the couch beside a very irritated Maureen.

"I don't know. I forgot." She pulled a blanket draped on the couch over her head.

Mimi and Roger exchanged glances and decided to leave it at that.

"Ok then . . .I'm making tacos. You want something?"

"No." Maureen's voice was muffled through the blanket.

"You sure? You didn't even eat lunch today, Mo . . ."

"I said I'm not hungry."

Mimi gave up on her and searched through the refrigerator. "Roger, you think Collins will have some tortillas?"

"They're out." Collins had appeared in the doorway. Roger walked over to him.

"Hey. Where have you been? Damn, you don't look so good . . ."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Collins muttered as he stumbled into the kitchen.

Roger grabbed his arm to steady him. "Whoa, there. What are you [I]on[/I]?"

"Would you get off me?" Collins shook Roger's hand from his elbow. "I was just looking for Kelly."

Maureen emerged from her pile of pillows and blankets. "She's on another date with Mark."

Collins was apparently clueless. "Kelly is dating Mark?"

Roger rolled his eyes at him. "Just goes to show how often you're around. Really, what did you take?"

The dark circles beneath Collins' eyes gave evidence of his lack of sleep, and his clumsy motions could only be caused by drugs. Roger had gone through the same, out-of-whack motions so many times before . . .back when he was a junkie. He shuddered at the mere thought of those days and knew that he wasn't going to let Collins take the same journey down that dark path of confusion and misery.

"He said it would make my problems go away . . .I was desperate. I can't stop thinking about him . . .about her."

"Damnit, Collins! Don't you learn ANYTHING from me?" Roger screamed at him.

Mimi gently put her arms around his shoulders. "Roger . . ."

"How long have you been doing this? How long? Tell me!"

"It's only been a few weeks. Rog, would you stop yelling. My head hurts . . ."

"Well, it should!" Roger lowered his voice. "Just . . .just get some rest. And don't do it again." Collins ambled back to his own apartment.

Mimi pressed her forehead against Roger's. "Shhh. He'll be ok. You know Collins. He was just upset," she whispered.

"I just hate to see him like that. I don't want him to do what I did," Roger said, pulling out of Mimi's embrace. He went out to fire escape and slammed the door shut behind him.

Mimi aimlessly wandered into the bedroom while Maureen retreated back into to her cocoon of blankets, each of them hiding from the cloud of emotions hanging over them.

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